Broadcasting receiver and a method of determining an operation mode of broadcasting receiver

ABSTRACT

A broadcasting receiver and a method of determining an operation mode of broadcasting receiver are disclosed. A host device transmits the resource information including A-mode resource information. And a POD receives the resource information and determining an operation mode based on the received resource information and operation mode setting information. The broadcasting receiver can protect content data received from all the transfer protocols including the wired/wireless network and the IP protocol, using the conditional access provided from the conventional cable card. The broadcasting receiver determines whether the host supports the A-mode and determines a method for receiving broadcast data, such that the operation mode of the broadcasting receiver can be properly established according to the determined result.

This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No.10-2007-76883, filed on Jul. 31, 2007 which is hereby incorporated byreference as if fully set forth herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a broadcast receiver and a method fordetermining an operation mode of the broadcast receiver, and moreparticularly to a broadcast receiver for processing broadcast dataIP-based Tx broadcast data and a method for determining an operationmode of the broadcast receiver.

2. Discussion of the Related Art

Existing television (TV) services have been provided in such a mannerthat contents produced by broadcasting companies are transmitted throughradio transmission media, such as terrestrial waves, cables orsatellites, and a viewer watches the transmitted contents through a TVreceiver capable of receiving the transmitted contents via therespective transmission media.

However, as digital TV technologies based on digital broadcasting aredeveloped and are commercially available, breaking from existing analogbroadcasting, various contents, such as real-time broadcasts, Contentson Demand (CoD), games and news, can be provided to a viewer using theInternet network connected to each home, besides the existingtransmission media.

An example of the provision of contents using the Internet network mayinclude an Internet Protocol TV (IPTV). The IPTV indicates a broadcastreceiver for receiving various types of information services,moving-image contents and broadcasts using an Internet network anddisplaying them to a user. The Internet network can be implemented onthe basis of various types of networks such as optical cable networks,coaxial cable networks, fiber-to-the-home (FTTH), telephone networks andwireless networks.

The service using the Internet network additionally has bidirectionalityand enables a viewer to watch a desired program at his/her convenienttime, unlike general terrestrial broadcasting.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a broadcast receiverand a method for determining an operation mode of the broadcast receiverthat substantially obviate one or more problems due to limitations anddisadvantages of the related art.

An object of the present invention is to provide an IP-based broadcastreceiver for protecting transmission (Tx) contents using a conditionalaccess provided from a conventional cable card, and a method fordetermining an operation mode of the broadcast receiver.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a broadcastreceiver which receives a network capability owned by a host at asecurity card in order to process broadcast data received on all thetransfer protocols including the IP protocol, and determines an optimumoperation mode, and a method for determining an operation mode of thebroadcast receiver.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a broadcastreceiver capable of receiving broadcast data from a Multimedia over CoaxAlliance (MoCA), and a method for determining an operation mode of thebroadcast receiver.

Additional advantages, objects, and features of the invention will beset forth in part in the description which follows and in part willbecome apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art uponexamination of the following or may be learned from practice of theinvention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention may berealized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in thewritten description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.

To achieve these objects and other advantages and in accordance with thepurpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, amethod of determining an operation mode of a broadcasting receiverincludes opening a resource manager session between a host device and apoint of deployment (POD), transmitting resource information whether thehost device supports A-mode from the host device to the POD, anddetermining an operation mode based on the transmitted resourceinformation. Herein a method of determining an operation mode furtherincludes transmitting the request of setting an operation mode from thehost device to the POD.

Also, a method of determining an operation mode further includestransmitting the determined operation mode to the host device. Hereinthe step of transmitting the determined operation mode includesinserting the determined operation mode in a DSG mode setting message,and transmitting the DSG mode setting message to the host device.

Also, a method of determining an operation mode further includestransmitting a Mac address to the host device when the determinedoperation mode is A-mode, and obtaining an Internet Protocol (IP)address allocated to the Mac address from a server and transmitting theIP address to the POD. Herein the step of transmitting a Mac addressincludes inserting the Mac address in a flow creation request message,and transmitting the flow creation message to the host device to thePOD. And the step of obtaining IP address allocated to the Mac addressincludes obtaining the IP address from server, inserting the IP addressin a flow creation acknowledgment message, and transmitting the flowcreation acknowledgment message to the POD.

Also, the resource manager session may be an extended channel supportresource session. And the resource manager session may be a DSG resourcesession. And the A-mode means that the host device receives broadcastdata based on Internet Protocol (IP) through a network. Herein the hostdevice includes an IP physical interface unit for supporting A-mode andthe IP physical interface unit receives an Ethernet frame includingbroadcast data.

In another aspect of the present invention, a method of determining anoperation mode of a broadcasting receiver includes receiving resourceinformation indicating whether a host device supports A-mode from thehost device, and determining an operation mode based on the transmittedresource information and operation mode setting information. Herein, amethod of determining an operation mode further includes receiving therequest of setting an operation mode from the host device. And a methodof determining an operation mode further includes transmitting thedetermined operation mode to the host device.

Also a method of determining an operation mode further includestransmitting a Mac address to the host device when the determinedoperation mode is an A-mode, and receiving an IP address allocated toThe Mac address from host device.

Also, the operation mode setting information is any of informationreceived from a headend, information saved in memory and informationsetted by default. Herein when there is no the information received fromheadend, the operation mode setting information is the information savedin memory and when there is no the information saved in memory, theoperation mode setting information is the information setted by default.

In another aspect of the present invention, a method of setting anoperation mode of a broadcasting receiver includes receiving operationmode information from a POD, receiving a Mac address from the POD whenthe operation mode information indicates that an operation mode is anA-mode, and obtaining an IP address allocated the Mac address from aserver and transmitting the IP address to the POD. Herein a method ofsetting an operation mode further includes obtaining a host device IPaddress from server when the operation mode information indicates thatan operation mode is an A-mode. Also, the operation mode information isreceived with being included in a DSG mode setting message.

Also, the step of obtaining an IP address allocated to the Mac addressincludes obtaining the IP address from the server, including the IPaddress in a flow creation acknowledgment message, and transmitting theflow creation acknowledgment message to the POD.

In another aspect of the present invention, a broadcasting receiverincludes a host device for transmitting the resource informationindicating whether the host device supports A-mode, and a point ofdeployment (POD) for receiving the resource information and determiningan operation mode based on the received resource information andoperation mode setting information. Herein, the host device transmitsthe request of setting an operation mode to the POD. And the PODtransmits the determined operation mode to the host device.

Also, the POD transmits a Mac address to the host device when thedetermined operation mode is an A-mode, and the host device receives theMac address, obtains an IP address allocated to the Mac address from aserver and transmits the IP address to the POD.

Also, the operation mode setting information is any of informationreceived from headend, information saved in memory and informationsetted by default.

Therefore, the present invention can perform content protection usingthe conditional access provided from the conventional cable card.Therefore, the service provider or the service enterpriser can performthe above content protection, and can stably charges a usage fee to aservice user using the conditional access.

The present invention processes broadcast data received from all thetransfer protocols including both the wired/wireless network and the IPprotocol, such that it interfaces with the openCable card. A servicesubscriber or a service user minimally changes or extends a function ofthe conventional cable card, such that the subscriber or user is able toview data of a desired service provider.

The present invention supports an operation mode in which broadcast datareceived on all the transfer protocols including the wired/wirelessnetwork and the IP protocol is configured in the form of an IP packetand the resultant broadcast data of the IP packet format is transmittedto the card. As a result, the IP broadcast data can be more effectivelyand stably processed.

Based on network capability information owned by the host and Txinformation transmitted from the broadcast station, the presentinvention determines an operation mode of the broadcast receiver, andsets an operation mode of the broadcast receiver to the determinedoperation mode, such that the appropriate operation mode of thebroadcast receiver can be determined according to the host and themethod for receiving the broadcast data.

Since the present invention supports the conventional operation mode, itcan acquire a backward compatibility.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description of the present invention areexemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide furtherexplanation of the invention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute apart of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of the invention andtogether with the description serve to explain the principle of theinvention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an IPTV system according toone embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a receiver of a security cardaccording to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating a process for transmitting anoperation mode according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 shows a syntax of ‘Inquire_DSG_Mode( ) APDU’ according to oneembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 shows a syntax of ‘set_DSG_Mode( ) APDU’ according to oneembodiment of the present invention; and

FIGS. 6A and 6B are flow charts illustrating processes fortransmitting/receiving operation mode information according to oneembodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In addition, although the terms used in the present invention areselected from generally known and used terms, some of the termsmentioned in the description of the present invention have been selectedby the applicant at his or her discretion, the detailed meanings ofwhich are described in relevant parts of the description herein.Furthermore, it is required that the present invention is understood,not simply by the actual terms used but by the meanings of each termlying within.

A broadcast receiver and a method of processing broadcast data accordingto the present invention will be described in detail with reference tothe accompanying drawings.

An Internet protocol TV (IPTV) system which is an example of a systemcapable of providing various types of contents using an Internet networkmay be largely divided into a server, a network and a broadcast receiver(client).

The server of the IPTV system may include servers having variousfunctions, such as a service discovery and selection server, a streamingserver, a content guide information server, a customer informationserver, and a payment information server.

Among these servers, the streaming server transmits stored MovingPicture Experts Group (MPEG)-2 or MPEG-4 encoding moving-image data tothe broadcast receiver via a network. As a transmission protocol, areal-time transport protocol (RTP) or a RTP control protocol (RTCP) maybe used.

In the case where a real-time streaming protocol (RTSP) is used, thereproduction of a moving-image stream can be controlled by a networktrick play function such as Pause, Replay, Stop or the like to someextent.

The content guide information server provides information on providedvarious contents. The content guide information includes a variety ofinformation on the contents as information corresponding to electronicprogram guide (EPG) information. The content guide information serverstores content guide information data and provides the stored data tothe broadcast receiver.

Among the servers, the service discovery and selection server providesaccess information of servers for providing various types of contentservices such as broadcasts, Contents on Demand (CoD) or games andreproduction information to the broadcast receiver.

A network system includes an Internet-based network and gateways. As theInternet-based network, various types of networks based on the IP, suchas optical cable networks, coaxial cable networks, fiber-to-the-home(FTTH), telephone networks and wireless networks, may be used. Thegateways may generally perform data delivery, multicast group managementusing a protocol such as an Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP)and Quality of Service (QoS) management.

The IPTV indicates a broadcast receiver capable of receiving datatransmitted via the Internet network and providing the data to a user.The broadcast receiver may include an IPTV settop, a homenet gateway andan IPTV embedded TV.

A hybrid IPTV system can provide various types of contents of theInternet as well as various types of existing broadcast contents. Thatis, besides various types of broadcast contents such as terrestrialbroadcasting, cable broadcasting, satellite broadcasting or privatebroadcasting, various Internet image contents or data contents otherthan images can be provided to the user. These contents may be providedin real time or on demand.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an IPTV system according to anembodiment of the present invention.

From the viewpoint of a content service provider, the IPTV system may bedivided into a content provider (CP), a service provider (SP), a networkprovider (NP) and a user.

The CP manufactures and provides various types of contents. The CP mayinclude a terrestrial broadcaster, a cable system operator (SO) or acable multiple system operator (MSO), a satellite broadcaster and anInternet broadcaster.

The SP packages contents provided by the CP to a service and providesthe service. For example, the SP of FIG. 1 packages a first terrestrialbroadcast, a second terrestrial broadcast, a cable MSO broadcast, asatellite broadcast, various Internet broadcasts to the service andprovides the service to the user.

As means for protecting the contents transmitted in the IPTV system,conditional access or content protection may be used. As an example ofthe conditional access or the content protection, a cable card or adownloadable conditional access system (DCAS) may be used.

The use of the security card or the DCAS is selected by the SP forproviding the IPTV service. In the case where the security card or theDCAS is used in the broadcast receiver, the SP communicating with thebroadcast receiver should use that system.

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram showing a broadcast receiver usingthe security card according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The broadcast receiver of FIG. 2 can receive all of an IPTV servicebased on the IP, a cable broadcast, a terrestrial broadcast and asatellite broadcast. The broadcast receiver of FIG. 2 may receive onlythe IPTV service or cable broadcasting according to the implementationexamples. The security card of FIG. 2 may be called other termsaccording to the implementation examples.

The broadcast receiver of FIG. 2 is largely divided into a host deviceand a security card. The host device includes a first broadbandinterface unit 202, a second broadband interface unit 204, a demodulator206, a multiplexer 208, a demultiplexer 210, a decoder 212, an IPphysical interface unit 214, a routing engine 216, an IP to transportpacket (TP) decapsulator 218, a controller 222, a downloadable CAS(DCAS) 224, a digital video recorder (DVR) controller 226, a contentencryptor 228, a storage interface 230, and a storage unit 232. Thesecurity card 220 may be a single stream card capable of processing onlyone stream and a multi stream card capable of simultaneously processinga plurality of streams. For example, the security card 220 may beimplemented by a cable card or a smart card.

The broadcast receiver is an open cable type receiver in which thesecurity card including a conditional access system (CAS) can bedetached from a main body. The security card is also called a point ofdeployment (POD) module, which is inserted into or detached from a slotof the main body of the broadcast receiver. The main body into which thesecurity card is inserted is also called a host device. That is, acombination of the security card and the host device is called thebroadcast receiver.

The host device included in the broadcast receiver of FIG. 2 is oneexample implemented by a multi stream host device capable ofsimultaneously processing a plurality of streams. When a host device isimplemented by a single stream host device capable of processing onlyone stream, it is bypassed for multiplexer 208 and the demultiplexer 210of the host device of FIG. 2 to generate a CableCard MPEG Packet (CMP)by appending a Packet Header to a MPEG transport packet and multiplexthe CMP and demultiplex the multiplexed CMP. But, though a host deviceis implemented a single stream host device, the other operations thatthe present invention disclose are performed identically.

A network modem 200 connects an external network and the broadcastreceiver. For example, the broadcast receiver may be connected to theexternal network using a data over cable service interface specification(DOCSIS) modem, a wireless repeater connected to a wireless Internetnetwork, or a wired repeater connected to a wired Internet network, suchas a wired Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) repeater. Theexample of the connection between the broadcast receiver and theexternal network is only exemplary and may vary depending on how thebroadcast receiver is connected to the external network.

FIG. 3 is a view showing the connection between the broadcast receiverand the external network using the DOCSIS modem according to the presentinvention.

In the case where the network modem 200 is implemented by the DOCSISmodem, the broadcast receiver according to the present invention may beconnected to a DOCSIS network. That is, the network modem 200 may builda cable modem termination system (CMTS) (DSG agent) and a DSG tunnel fordelivering a data broadcast received from a set-top controller (DSGserver) via the DOCSIS network and receive broadcast data via the builtDSG tunnel. Here, the DOCSIS network may be implemented by an IPbackbone network and support IP multicast/unicast.

However, in order to support the IP multicast/unicast via the DOCSISnetwork, a packet received from the CMTS (DSG agent) should betransformed to a DSG packet and the DSC packet should be transmitted.Accordingly, the broadcast receiver cannot be directly connected to theexternal IP network so as to receive the broadcast data.

In order to solve these problems, the network modem 200 may provide afunction for directly connecting the broadcast receiver to the externalIP network. For example, the network modem 200 may be implemented by aMultimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA). In the case where the networkmodem 200 is implemented by the MoCA, the IP-based network may beestablished and connected over a coaxial cable network. That is, in thecase where the network modem 200 is implemented by the MoCA, the DOCSISmay not be used, the DOCSIS modem does not need to be used, and the CMTSconnected to the DOCSIS modem over the network does not need to be used.In addition, the DSG tunnel established between the DOCSIS modem and theCMTS does not need to be used. Accordingly, since seamless IP-basedconnectivity may be implemented over the coaxial network, the broadcastreceiver according to the present invention can use IP over Coax andthus provide a rapid stable broadcast service to the user.

The first broadband interface unit 202 tunes to only a specific channelfrequency of terrestrial audio/video (A/V) broadcasting transmitted viaan antenna or cable A/V broadcasting transmitted in-band via a cableconnected to the network modem 200, and outputs the tuned signal to thedemodulator 206.

At this time, since the terrestrial broadcast and the cable broadcastare transmitted by different transmission methods, they are demodulatedby different demodulation methods in the demodulator 206. For example,while the terrestrial A/V broadcast is modulated by a vestigial sidebandmodulation (VSB) method, the cable A/V broadcast is modulated by aquadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) method. Therefore, if the channelfrequency tuned by the first broadband interface unit 202 is theterrestrial broadcast, the demodulator 206 demodulates the terrestrialbroadcast by the VSB method and if the channel frequency tuned by thefirst broadband interface unit 202 is the cable broadcast, demodulatesthe cable broadcast by the QAM method.

The second broadband interface unit 204 tunes to only a specific channelfrequency of cable A/V broadcast transmitted in-band via the cableconnected to the network modem 200, and outputs the tuned signal to thedemodulator 206.

The first broadband interface unit 202 and the second broadbandinterface unit 204 may tune the signals of different channels andtransmit the signals to the demodulator 206. Alternatively, the firstbroadband interface unit 202 and the second broadband interface unit 204may tune different A/V streams of the same channel and transmit thesignals to the demodulator 206. For example, the first broadbandinterface unit 202 may tune a stream of a main picture and the secondbroadband interface unit 204 may tune a stream of a picture in picture(PIP). In the case where a digital video signal is stored in a digitalvideo recorder (DVR), the video signal may be watched and recorded usingthe first broadband interface unit 202 and the second broadbandinterface unit 204.

The demodulator 206 demodulates the received signal and transmits thedemodulated signal to the multiplexer 208. The multiplexer 208 maymultiplex the signals output from the demodulator 206 and the IP to TPdecapsulator 218 and output the multiplexed signal. For example, themain video signal which is tuned by the first broadband interface unit202 and is demodulated and the PIP video signal which is tuned by thesecond broadband interface unit 204 and is demodulated are multiplexedand the multiplexed signal is output. The video signals of differentchannels may be multiplexed, or the demodulated signal and the signaloutput from the IP to TP decapsulator 218 may be multiplexed, accordingto the implementation examples.

If the signal output from the multiplexer 208 is terrestrial broadcastdata, the signal is output to the demultiplexer 210 and, if the signaloutput from the demultiplexer 208 is the cable broadcast data or theIPTV broadcast data, the signal is output to the demultiplexer 210 viathe security card 220 mounted in the slot. The security card 220includes the CAS in order to prevent higher value-added broadcastingcontents from being copied and permit conditional access, which is alsocalled the POS module.

That is, if the received broadcast data is scrambled, the security card220 descrambles the broadcast data and outputs the descrambled data tothe demultiplexer 210. If the security card 220 is not mounted, the A/Vbroadcast data output from the multiplexer 208 is directly output to thedemultiplexer 210. In this case, the scrambled A/V broadcast data cannotbe descrambled and thus cannot be normally watched.

The demultiplexer 210 routes the A/V broadcast data output from themultiplexer 208 and the A/V broadcast data output from the security card220 to be output to the decoder 212 or the DVR controller 226. Thedecoder 212 restores the compressed A/V signal to an original signal viaa video/audio decoding algorithm and outputs the restored signal.

The DVR controller 226, the content encryptor 228, the storage interface230 and the storage unit 232 serve to store the received digital data orreproduce the stored data. The DVR controller 226 controls MPEG TSrouted by the demultiplexer 210 to be stored or controls video data,audio data and system data selected from stored data to be reproduced,under the control of the controller 222. The content encryptor 228encrypts data to be stored and outputs the encrypted data or decryptsthe encrypted data and outputs the decrypted data. The encryptor 228 maynot be used according to the implementation examples.

The storage interface 230 performs data input/output interface with thestorage unit 232, and the storage unit 232 stores the received data.

The DCAS 224 may download and store the CASs from a transmission serverand perform a CAS function according to a proper CAS of the stored CASs.The controller 222 controls data processing of the host device and theinterface between the host device and the security card.

The Ethernet NIC 214 receives an Ethernet frame packet destined for aspecific IP address in a signal received through the network modem 200,and transmits the received Ethernet frame packet to the routing engine216. The Ethernet NIC 214 may also receive data for two-waycommunication (for example, a paid program request, receiver statusinformation, user input, etc.) from the routing engine 216 and thentransmit the received data to an external network through the networkmodem 200. The specific IP address may be an IP address of the hostdevice or an IP address of the security card. Here, the method in whichthe Ethernet NIC 214 receives an Ethernet frame through the networkmodem 200 and transmits the received Ethernet frame to the routingengine 216 and the routing engine 216 then routes the received packet toa destination of the packet using a TCP/IP network stack will now bereferred to as an “IP mode”. The Ethernet NIC 214 and the routing engine216 correspond to IP-mode resources that support the IP mode.

In the broadcast receiver of FIG. 2, IPTV broadcast data according tothe IP protocol, a Video On Demand (VOD) signal or an Out Of Band (OOB)message signal may be received via the IP physical interface unit 214.In the existing cable broadcast, an OOB message such as SystemInformation (SI), an Emergency Alert System (EAS), an eXtendedApplication Information Table (XAIT), CAS information, or a variety ofcard control information is received using a DOCSIS Settop gateway (DSG)method or an OOB method.

In the broadcast receiver of FIG. 2, the DOCSIS modem or the OOB tunermay be included in the host device such that the OOB message isreceived. For example, the OOB message may be received using one of theIP method and the OOB method or using one of the IP method, the DSGmethod and the OOB method.

In the case where the OOB message is received using one of the IP methodand the OOB method, the broadcast receiver of FIG. 2 further requires anOOB tuner or demodulator. In the case where the OOB message is receivedusing one of the IP method, the DSG method and the OOB method, thebroadcast receiver of FIG. 2 further requires the DOCSIS modem, the OOBtuner, a switching unit for selecting one of the DSG method and the OOBmethod, and a demodulator for transmitting the data to the headendaccording to the method.

In the case where all the IP method, the DSG method and the OOB methodcan be used or in the case where both the IP method and the OOB methodcan be used except for the DSG method, the transmitter selects one ofthe above-described methods and transmits information on the selectedmethod to the security card 220. The security card 220 informs the hostdevice of the operating method according to the information on themethod selected by the transmitter. In this case, backward compatibilitycan be solved.

In the broadcast receiver of FIG. 2, for convenience of description, thecase where the OOB message is received via the IP physical interfaceunit 214 using the IP, instead of the DSG method using the DOCSIS modemor the OOB method using the OOB tuner, will be described. In this case,the transmitter should packetize the OOB message using the IP andtransmit the OOB message. In the VOD or IPTV broadcast, the message suchas the CAS information may be received in the form of a packet such as aVOD packet or an IPTV broadcast packet.

The OOB message is only exemplary, and other necessary information maybe added or unnecessary information of the above-described informationmay be excluded according to the implementation examples.

The routing engine 216 routes the received packet to a destination ofthe packet using a TCP/IP protocol-based network stack. The TCP/IPnetwork 216 supports both a TCP/IP protocol and a user datagram protocol(UDP)/IP protocol.

The routing engine 216 routes the received VOD signal or the IPTVbroadcast data to the IP to TP decapsulator 218. The IP to TPdecapsulator 218 parses the received MPEG or MPEG-2 TS packet andoutputs the parsed packet to the multiplexer 208. The process after themultiplexer 208 is described above. Since the MPEG-2 broadcast data isused in the above example, the TP packet is received and parsed.However, in the case where the broadcast data using other standard isreceived, other units may be used instead of the TP packet unit.Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is not limited to theterms used in the implementation examples.

The routing engine 216 transmits the packet, of which the destination isthe security card 220, to the security card 220. The OOB message whichis one of the packets of which the destination is the security card 220is routed by the routing engine 216 and transmitted to the security card220. In the case where the OOB message is routed to the security card220, the data can be transmitted to the security card 220 using a secondlayer routing method, a third layer routing method, or a fourth layerrouting method.

If the second layer routing method is used, the message is routed usinga media access control (MAC) address system of the destination includedin the header of the received Ethernet frame. If the third layer routingmethod is used, the message is routed using an IP address system of thedestination included in the IP header of the received Ethernet frame.The use of the second layer routing method or the third layer routingmethod may vary according to implementation examples. If the fourthlayer routing method is used, the message is routed using a port numberincluded in the UDP header of the received Ethernet frame. If thereceived Ethernet frame includes the TCP header, the message is routedusing a port number included in the TCP header of the received Ethernetframe. The use of the second layer routing method, the third layerrouting method or the fourth layer routing method may vary according toimplementation examples. That is, the second layer routing method, thethird layer routing method or the fourth layer routing method may beused according to implementation examples.

A data channel, an extended channel and an in-band channel exist betweenthe security card and the host device. The data channel is set such thata control signal is exchanged between the host device and the securitycard, and the extended channel is set such that actual data isexchanged. The data channel and the extended channel are CPU interfaceswhich are defined such that data is exchanged between the host deviceand the security card.

That is, the security card communicates with a transmitter, analyzes acommand received from the transmitter, and performs an operationinstructed by the transmitter while communicating with the host devicevia the data channel and the extended channel or sends contents input bythe user to the transmitter.

At this time, in order to transmit the data via the extended channel,first, a transmission line corresponding to the data type definedbetween the security card and the host device should be set. This iscalled a flow. For example, in order to transmit MPEG section data, anMPEG section flow is set between the security card and the host deviceand then the MPEG section data is actually transmitted via the flow. Theextended channel may include a DSG flow, an IP flow and an MPEG sectionflow. Only, if eCM (embeded Cable Modem) like DOCSIS Modem is not usedin the host device, the DSG flow is not used in the flows. Herein the IPflow may include at least one of an IP unicast (IP_U) flow and an IPmuticast (IP_M) flow.

The in-band channel is set between the host device and the security cardin order to transmit an MPEG-2 transport packet containing audio, videoand data and corresponds to an MPEG interface or an in-band MPEG-TSinterface. The MPEG data flow is set as the transmission line fortransmitting the data via the in-band channel.

Before the communication operating mode of the host device as describedabove is set or before the host device exchanges an OOB message or thelike with the security card, the host device needs to provide thesecurity card with information of network operating modes supported bythe host device. Accordingly, while the interface between the hostdevice and the security card is initialized, for example when the hostdevice boots or when the security card is inserted into the host device,the host device transmits the information of network operating modessupported by the host device to the security card. In this case, theoperation mode of the host may include an A-mode and operations modes(i.e., an OOB-down mode, an OOB-up mode, and a DOCSIS mode) of theconventional broadcast receiver.

In this case, the A-mode is indicative of a network operation mode basedon the IP physical interface unit 214. A representative example of theA-mode is the IP scheme of FIG. 2.

The OOB-down mode is indicative of a network operation mode based on aforward data channel (FDC). The OOB-up mode is indicative of a networkoperation mode based on a reverse data channel (RDC). The DOCSIS mode isindicative of a nework operation mode based on a Docsis Cable Modem.

The host can transmit information for supporting network operation modeto the security card using a resource manager (RM) protocol. In otherwords, the host transmits the list of identifiers of all resources ofthe host to the security card using the RM protocol. The security cardmay acquire the host's conditional access system (CAS) information andthe host's resource information (e.g., network operation mode supportinformation) using the above protocol. Based on the above information, acontrol- or communication-function is performed between the host and thesecurity card. The resource information transmission/reception operationbased on the RM protocol is performed at the beginning of an applicationstack from among the interface initialization process between the hostand the security card.

The security card receives the network operation mode supportinformation from the host, and receives the operation mode informationfrom the headend or the service provider, such that it determines anetwork operation mode using the received operation mode. The securitycard may transmit the determined network operation mode to the abovehost, or may directly request the flow generation of the determinednetwork operation mode from the host.

The resource information transmission/reception according to the RMprotocol may be performed at the beginning of the application stack fromamong the interface initialization process between the host and thesecurity card.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating a process for transmitting anoperation mode according to one embodiment of the present invention.Namely, FIG. 3 shows the message flow a message between the host and thesecurity card.

Referring to FIG. 3, the security card requests the host to open the RMprotocol session, such that it transmits the message‘Open_session_request’ to the host. Upon receiving the message‘Open_session_request’ from the security card, the host opens thesession to answer the message, as denoted by ‘open_session_response’.The above session may be a session of an extended channel supportresource or a session of a DSG resource. For example, if the version ofthe extended channel support resource is 4 or less, the session of theextended channel support resource is used. If the version of theextended channel support resource is 5 or more, the session of the DSGresource is used.

If the above-mentioned open is open, the host transmits the message‘Inquire_DSG_Mode( ) Application Data Unit (APDU)’ for requestinginformation of a preferred operation mode to the security card.

FIG. 4 shows a syntax of ‘Inquire_DSG_Mode( ) APDU’ according to oneembodiment of the present invention. For the convenience of descriptionand better understanding of the present invention, English terms ofindividual constituent fields of the syntax will hereinafter be usedwithout any change, and the individual fields will be enclosed withdouble quotation marks.

A field denoted by “profile_reply_tag” is a 24-bit field, and has anidentification value for recognizing that the above-mentioned APDU isequal to ‘profile_reply( ) APDU’. For example, the above-mentionedidentification value may be ‘0x9F8E06’. A field denoted by“length_field( )” includes field size information in units of a byte.

The security card transmits the message ‘set_DSG_Mode( ) APDU’ to thehost. The security card includes information of a preferred operationmode in the ‘set_DSG_Mode( ) APDU’ message, and transmits the resultant‘set_DSG_Mode( ) APDU’ message to the host. The ‘set_DSG Mode( ) APDU’message may be transmitted as a response to the ‘Inquire_DSG_Mode( )APDU’ message to the host. Although there is no request, the‘set_DSG_Mode( ) APDU’ message may also be transmitted to the host afterthe resource session has been established.

In this case, upon receiving network operation mode support informationfrom the host, the security card includes the preferred operation modeinformation in the ‘set_DSG_Mode( ) APDU’ message, and transmits theresultant message to the host. In other words, upon receiving thepreferred operation mode information from the host, the host determinesthe preferred operation mode, includes the determined preferredoperation mode information in the ‘set_DSG_Mode( ) APDU’ message, anddirectly transmits the resultant message to the host.

FIG. 5 shows a syntax of ‘set_DSG_Mode( ) APDU’ according to oneembodiment of the present invention.

A field denoted by “set_DSG_Mode_tag” is a 24-bit field, and has anidentification value for recognizing that the above-mentioned APDU isequal to ‘set_DSG_Mode( ) APDU’. For example, the above-mentionedidentification value may be ‘0x9F8E07’. A field denoted by“length_field( )” includes field size information in units of a byte.

A field denoted by “operation_mode” includes either information of thepreferred operation mode or information of a network operation mode tobe established by the host. Identification information of the operationmode of the above-mentioned “operation_mode” field is shown in thefollowing table 1:

TABLE 1 Operational mode Value SCTE55 mode (Legacy OOB mode) 0x00 basicDSG mode 0x01 basic DSG mode one-way mode 0x02 advanced DSG mode 0x03advanced DSG mode one-way mode 0x04 IP mode 0x05

If the preferred operation mode is the IP mode, the “operation_mode”field of the “set_DSG_Mode( ) APDU” message has the value of ‘0x05’. Theabove-mentioned IP mode is indicative of a specific mode capable oftransmitting/receiving data using the Ethernet NIC according to theInternet protocol. The scope or spirit of the present invention is notlimited to only the above terms, but the IP mode can also be implementedwith other modes as necessary.

If the operation mode of the “operation_mode” field is a DSG mode or aDSG one-way mode, the APDU includes the “number_MAC_addresses” field,the “DSG_MAC_address” field, and the “remove_header_bytes” field.

The “number_MAC_addresses” field includes specific informationindicating the number of MAC addresses allocated by the card provider.The “DSG_MAC_address” field is repeated by ‘for loop’ fields as many asthe number of MAC addresses. The “DSG_MAC_address” field includesinformation of an Ethernet MAC address. The “remove_header_bytes” fieldincludes specific information indicating the number of bytes removedfrom a DSG tunnel packet before data is transmitted via the extendedchannel.

Upon receiving the ‘set_DSG_Mode( ) APDU’ message, the host performsparsing of the above APDu, and extracts the ‘operational_mode’ value. Ifthe ‘operational_mode’ value is set to ‘0x05’ (i.e., IP mode), the hostbegins to establish the networking operation based on the Ethernet NIC.

The host transmits a host MAC address allocated to each host to the DHCPserver using a Dynamic Host device Configuration Protocol (DHCP), andacquires the IP address of the host.

The security card transmits the ‘New_flow_req APDU’ message to the host,and requests generation of the IP unicast (IP_U) flow. The‘service_type’ field value of the ‘New_flow_req( ) APDU’ message is setto ‘0x01(IP_U)’, and requests generations of the IP unicast flow. The‘New_flow_req APDU’ message can transmit request information forrequesting the IP unicast flow generation and the MAC addressinformation of the security card. In this case, the security card doesnot transmit the ‘set_DSG_Mode( ) APDU’ message to the host, buttransmits the ‘New_flow_req( ) APDU’ message for requesting the flowgeneration of the determined preferred operation mode to the host.

The host performs parsing of the ‘New_flow_req( ) APDU’ message,transmits the MAC address of the security card to the DHCP server, andacquires an IP address of the security card. The host includes both theIP address of the above-mentioned security card and grant informationfor granting the IP unicast flow generation in the ‘New_flow_cnf( )APDU’ message, and transmits the resultant ‘New_flow_cnf( ) APDU’message to the security card.

If the ‘New_flow_cnf( ) APDU’ message is received in the security card,the IP unicast flow is generated from the host and the extended channelof the security card. The security card can receive a variety of OOBmessages via the above-mentioned flow, and can perform bi-directional IPcommunication.

The host transmits the ‘New_flow_req( ) APDU’ message to the cablesecurity card, and requests the MPEG section flow from the securitycard. The security card transmits the ‘New_flow_cnf( ) APDU’ message tothe host, such that it may allow the MPEG section flow. The host setsthe ‘Service_type’ field value of the ‘New_flow_req( ) APDU’ message to‘0x00 (MPEG_section)’, such that it requests generation of the MPEGsection flow. However, the order of the above-mentioned request andgeneration of the MPEG section flow has been disclosed for onlyillustrative purposes, and may also be set to another as necessary. Forexample, according to some implementation examples, the above-mentionedMPEG section flow may be performed before the IP unicast flow request orgeneration has occurred. For another example, the above-mentioned MPEGsection flow may also be performed after the session has been open.

The APDU associated with the DSG mode includes ‘Inquire_DSG_mode( )’,‘set_DSG_mode( )’, ‘DSG_error( )’, ‘DSG_message( )’, ‘DSG_directory( )’,‘send_DSG_info( )’, etc. If the preferred operation mode is set to theIP mode, ‘DSG_error( )’, ‘DSG_message( )’, ‘DSG_directory( )’, and‘send_DSG_info (0)’ other than ‘Inquire_DSG_mode( )’ and ‘set_DSG_mode()’ are not used. If the unused APDU is received, the above-mentionedfactors are discarded.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are flow charts illustrating processes fortransmitting/receiving operation mode information according to oneembodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6A is a flow chartillustrating a method for transmitting operation mode information fromthe security card to the host.

Referring to FIG. 6A, the interface (I/F) between the host and thesecurity card is initialized at step S600. This interface initializationbetween the host and the security card may occur when the host is bootedor the security card is inserted in the host.

If the interface between the host and the security card is initialized,the security card acquires network capability information capable ofbeing supported by the host at step S602. The network capabilityinformation supportable by the host can be transmitted or received viathe resource manage (RM) protocol.

The security card determines the preferred operation mode to transmitinformation of the preferred operation mode to the host.

The preferred operation mode information may be received from theheadend or the service provider. According to implementation examples,the security card may store the preferred operation mode therein. Inorder to effectively cope with an unexpected case (e.g., the case inwhich the security card receives or stores no preferred operation modeinformation), a default operation mode may be established in thesecurity card.

Therefore, the security card determines whether the preferred operationmode information has been received from the headend or the serviceprovider at step S604. If the preferred operation mode information isnot received in the security card, the security card determines thepresence or absence of the stored preferred operation mode informationat step S606. If the security card receives or stores no preferredoperation mode information, the default operation mode is selected atstep S608.

The security card determines the preferred operation mode to betransmitted to the host using both the operation mode informationacquired from the above step S604, S606, or S608 and the networkcapability information supportable by the host at step S610. Thepreferred operation mode may be determined to be any one of the networkcapability modes supportable by the host.

The security card can transmit information of the determined preferredoperation mode to the host. For example, the security card and the hostcan transmit or receive the preferred operation mode information usingthe extended channel support resource session or the DSG resourcesession.

The security card determines whether it has received the‘Inquire_DSG_mode( ) APDU’ message from the host at step S612 ordetermines that it must transmit the ‘set_DSG_mode( ) APDU’ message tothe host at step S614, includes the determined preferred operation modeinformation in the ‘set_DSG_mode( ) APDU’ message, and transmits theresultant ‘set_DSG_mode( ) APDU’ message to the host at step S616. The‘set_DSG_mode( ) APDU’ message may be transmitted as a response to the‘Inquire_DSG_Mode( ) APDU’ message to the host. Although there is norequest, the above ‘set_DSG_Mode( ) APDU’ message can also betransmitted to the host after the resource session has been established.In other words, if the security card receives the network capabilityinformation supportable by the host from the host, the above-mentioned‘set_DSG_Mode( ) APDU’ message can be immediately transmitted.

FIG. 6B is a flow chart illustrating a method for receiving/processingoperation mode information by the host according to the presentinvention.

Referring to FIG. 6B, the interface (I/F) between the host and thesecurity card is initialized at step S620. This interface initializationbetween the host and the security card may occur when the host is bootedor the security card is inserted in the host.

The interface between the host and the security card is initialized, andat the same time the host extracts the preferred operation modeinformation received from the security card at step S622. The preferredoperation mode information may be contained in the ‘Operation_mode’field of the ‘set_DSG_mode( ) APDU’ message, such that the resultantpreferred operation mode information may be received. The hostdetermines the extracted operation mode, and initializes the networkaccording to the above operation mode.

The host determines whether the extracted operation mode is the IP modeat step S624, the OOB mode at step S626, or the DSG mode at step S628.If the operation mode is the IP mode at step S624, the host begins toestablish the networking operation based on the Ethernet NIC. The hosttransmits the MAC address to the host DHCP server using the DHCPprotocol, and acquires the IP address of the host at step S630.

If the host receives the ‘new_flow_req( ) APDU’ message for requestingthe generation of the IP unicast flow from the security card at stepS636, it acquires the IP address of the security card from the DHCPserver located at a remote site at step S638. If the MAC address of thesecurity card is transmitted to the DHCP server, the IP address of thesecurity card can be acquired from the DHCP server.

The host includes the IP address of the security card and the IP unicastflow generation grant information in the ‘new_flow_cnf( ) APDU’ message,and transmits the ‘new_flow_cnf( ) APDU’ message including both the IPaddress and the grant information to the security card at step S640.

If the extracted operation mode is an OOB mode or a DSG mode, the setupprocess for the networking operation begins according to individualmodes at steps S632 and S634. In the case of the OOB mode, the securitycard acts as a modem, such that it communicates with the headend or theservice provider. In the case of the DSG mode, the host eCM (embeddedCable Modem) acts as a modem, such that it communicates with the headendor the service provider. In the case of the DSG mode, the IP unicastflow is established between the security card and the host eCM (embeddedCable Modem). In the case of the OOB mode, the IP unicast flow isestablished between the host and the SCTE (Society of CableTelecommunications Engineers) 55 modem of the security card.

Although the above-mentioned example has transmitted the IP-mode setupinformation to the host using the ‘set_DSG_mode( ) APDU’ message, itshould be noted that a new APDU may be additionally defined such thatthe above-mentioned IP-mode setup information may be transmitted asnecessary.

According to this embodiment of the present invention, a descramblemodule is contained in the security card or the smart card. The card isdetachably connected to the host. The Rx broadcast signal is descrambledby the descramble module of the card, and the descrambled result isprovided to the user. However, according to some embodiments of thepresent invention, the host may include a descramble module without thecard. The descramble module may be modified to be downloaded from abroadcast station or a service provider. In other words, the downloadeddescramble module may be modified to be stored in a predetermined memorycontained in the host. However, the above-mentioned structures have beendisclosed for only illustrative purposes, and it should be noted thatthe above-mentioned structural difference does not limit the spirit orscope of the present invention and can also be implemented with otherexamples as necessary.

As apparent from the above description, the present invention canperform content protection using the conditional access provided fromthe conventional cable card. Therefore, the service provider or theservice enterpriser can perform the above content protection, and canstably charges a usage fee to a service user using the conditionalaccess.

The present invention processes broadcast data received from all thetransfer protocols including both the wired/wireless network and the IPprotocol, such that it interfaces with the openCable security card. Aservice subscriber or a service user minimally changes or extends afunction of the conventional cable security card, such that thesubscriber or user is able to view data of a desired service provider.

The present invention supports an operation mode in which broadcast datareceived on all the transfer protocols including the wired/wirelessnetwork and the IP protocol is configured in the form of an IP packetand the resultant broadcast data of the IP packet format is transmittedto the card. As a result, the IP broadcast data can be more effectivelyand stably processed.

Based on network capability information owned by the host and Txinformation transmitted from the broadcast station, the presentinvention determines an operation mode of the broadcast receiver, andsets an operation mode of the broadcast receiver to the determinedoperation mode, such that the appropriate operation mode of thebroadcast receiver can be determined according to the host and themethod for receiving the broadcast data.

Since the present invention supports the conventional operation mode, itcan acquire a backward compatibility.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations can be made in the present inventionwithout departing from the spirit or scope of the inventions. Thus, itis intended that the present invention covers the modifications andvariations of this invention provided they come within the scope of theappended claims and their equivalents.

1. A method of determining an operation mode of a broadcasting receiver,the method comprising: opening a resource manager session between a hostdevice and a point of deployment (POD); transmitting resourceinformation indicating whether the host device supports A-mode from thehost device to the POD; and determining an operation mode based on thetransmitted resource information.
 2. The method of claim 1, whereinfurther comprises: transmitting the request of setting an operation modefrom the host device to the POD.
 3. The method of claim 1, whereinfurther comprises: transmitting the determined operation mode to thehost device.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of transmittingthe determined operation mode comprises: inserting the determinedoperation mode in a DSG mode setting message; and transmitting the DSGmode setting message to the host device.
 5. The method of claim 1,wherein further comprises: transmitting a Mac address to the host devicewhen the determined operation mode is A-mode; and obtaining an InternetProtocol (IP) address allocated to the Mac address from a server andtransmitting the IP address to the POD.
 6. The method of claim 5,wherein the step of transmitting a Mac address comprises: inserting theMac address in a flow creation request message; and transmitting theflow creation message to the host device to the POD.
 7. The method ofclaim 5, wherein the step of obtaining IP address allocated to the Macaddress comprises: obtaining the IP address from server; inserting theIP address in a flow creation acknowledgment message; and transmittingthe flow creation acknowledgment message to the POD.
 8. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the resource manager session is an extended channelsupport resource session.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the resourcemanager session is a DSG resource session.
 10. The method of claim 1,wherein the A-mode means that the host device receives broadcast databased on Internet Protocol (IP) through a network.
 11. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the host device includes an IP physical interface unitfor supporting A-mode.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the IPphysical interface unit receives an Ethernet frame including broadcastdata.
 13. A method of determining an operation mode of a broadcastingreceiver, the method comprising: receiving resource informationindicating whether a host device supports A-mode from the host device;and determining an operation mode based on the transmitted resourceinformation and operation mode setting information.
 14. The method ofclaim 13, wherein further comprises: receiving the request of setting anoperation mode from the host device.
 15. The method of claim 13, whereinfurther comprises: transmitting the determined operation mode to thehost device.
 16. The method of claim 13, wherein further comprises:transmitting a Mac address to the host device when the determinedoperation mode is an A-mode; and receiving an IP address allocated toThe Mac address from host device.
 17. The method of claim 13, whereinthe operation mode setting information is any of information receivedfrom a headend, information saved in memory and information setted bydefault.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein when there is no theinformation received from headend, the operation mode settinginformation is the information saved in memory and when there is no theinformation saved in memory, the operation mode setting information isthe information setted by default.
 19. A method of setting an operationmode of a broadcasting receiver, wherein the method comprising:receiving operation mode information from a point of deployment (POD);receiving a Mac address from the POD when the operation mode informationindicates that an operation mode is an A-mode; and obtaining an IPaddress allocated the Mac address from a server and transmitting the IPaddress to the POD.
 20. the method of claim 19, wherein furthercomprises: obtaining a host device IP address from server when theoperation mode information indicates that an operation mode is anA-mode.
 21. the method of claim 19, wherein the operation modeinformation is received with being included in a DSG mode settingmessage.
 22. the method of claim 19, wherein the step of obtaining an IPaddress allocated to the Mac address comprises: obtaining the IP addressfrom the server; including the IP address in a flow creationacknowledgment message; and transmitting the flow creationacknowledgment message to the POD.
 23. A broadcasting receivercomprising: a host device for transmitting the resource informationindicating whether the host device supports A-mode; and a Point ofDelivery (POD) for receiving the resource information and determining anoperation mode based on the received resource information and operationmode setting information;
 24. The broadcasting receiver of claim 23,wherein the host device transmits the request of setting an operationmode to the POD.
 25. The broadcasting receiver of claim 23, wherein thePOD transmits the determined operation mode to the host device.
 26. Thebroadcasting receiver of claim 23, wherein the POD transmits a Macaddress to the host device when the determined operation mode is anA-mode, and the host device receives the Mac address, obtains an IPaddress allocated to the Mac address from a server and transmits the IPaddress to the POD.
 27. The broadcasting receiver of claim 23, whereinthe operation mode setting information is any of information receivedfrom headend, information saved in memory and information setted bydefault.